Mystery invention to be subject of book

Published Friday, January 12, 2001

NEW YORK (AP) -- Amazon. com chief Jeff Bezos says it's a ''product so revolutionary, you'll have no problem selling it.'' Computer whiz Steve Jobs says it will change the way cities are designed. Silicon Valley entrepreneur John Doerr has invested millions in it. But what is IT?

Harvard Business School Press has paid $250,000 for a book about a mysterious invention with the codename ''Ginger.'' Neither the agent nor the publisher knows what ''Ginger'' is.

The Harvard press declined to say when the book is coming out, but the invention's identity is expected to be revealed in 2002. The book will be written by Steve Kemper, a journalist whose articles have appeared in National Geographic, Smithsonian and elsewhere.

Reports of the deal first appeared Tuesday in the Web site Inside.com.

According to Dean Kamen, the inventor of ''Ginger,'' his device will be an alternative to products that ''are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous and often frustrating, especially for people in the cities.''